When is the right time to fire your boss and blog full time?

Blogging is of course a profitable activity if treated as a real business. Apart from its income generating capacity, blogging increases the bloggers’ knowledge, brings him closer to many and opens an opportunity for more growth.

While some bloggers make a comfortable income from the activity, a majority are harvesting pennies from their different blogs. If John Chow can grow from $0 to $40,000/month in 2 years, it is safe to conclude that blogging can be taken as a full time activity. Yes! apart from Chow, so many bloggers are making a killing blogging and there are no signs that thumps will turn down in the future.

I have read inspiring stories of bloggers quitting their 9-to-5 jobs and becoming their own boss, focusing on blogging and generating enough to live a ‘beautiful’ life style. Yes, it’s possible to fire your boss, move from part time to full time blogger.

But when is the right time to fire your boss?

Most of us bloggers have nine-to-five jobsand while some are well paid above their worries, a majority are uncomfortably underpaid. However, job satisfaction and the pay package are different factors that play to affect productivity.

Most part time bloggers yearn to be full time bloggers. A quick leap in the blogosphere, you’ll read a lot of income reports. This makes us believe there is a lot of money to be made in blogging. Take a look at Pat’s income reports over the past few years and feel the income generating power of professional and full time blogging.

Two things often under-looked that go before these reports are:

Hard work

Time and monetary Investment

A careful look at income reports consistently posted by some bloggers reveals these bloggers go through a lot of hard work and smartness. Someone said “blogging is not easy” and I do agree with that. Now, whether you are an old time blogger or you are just the newest game player, it requires you to work hard and play smart to make that kind of money the pays your bills and helps you save.

For the most part, time is a required factor to be the big profit blogger. I have been blogging for little over one year now and about $7000 is what I generated in my first year. That may be considered handsome for a fresher but it’s far below my annual bills. See why I can’t fire my boss today ? (though I really don’t have one because I have been freelancer since 2007 creating websites and doing a lot of things offline).

Is your boss a nag?

Out of my office you dumb!

Most people think as long as they can employ and pay you a certain monthly figure, they can treat you like some piece of sh**t. Yes, some bosses really nag and we are just pulling on with them because of the “chicken change” they pay us every month end. No matter how good and religious some of these employers are, there is always an element of ‘I’m the boss here‘ so you guys most listen to me.

In some cases, the guy (the boss) has his money and you are just some graduate with ‘big certificates’ waiting and struggling to find your way. I can imagine some questions spinning in your brain ;

Should I just fire this guy?

How do I deal with my up coming bills?

What if I just focus on my blog?

ETC

YAAAAAAAH! The last time you checked your earnings from your blog, it was just $500,52 in 60 days. Fire your boss now and face it hot tomorrow

Before you fire him…

You need to ask yourself certain questions and find answers to them first. Your blog may be generating some income but … hold on. Don’t be in a hurry. Among others, the main question is to know how consistent is the income you get from your blog. $1500 this month and $700 next month and maybe a smaller figure the month after ?

A lot of things can happen on the way that can bring your earnings quite below expectations – Google updates bringing your contents OFF the first page, some unforeseen situations keeping you away from blogging for a while, server hacking or breakdown, etc, Do you have some other backup opportunities?

Think old age!

Now, you can’t be blogging through out your live. There comes a moment when you’ll lack the required energy to run even one blog. Old age should be a period of rest for every one. Not a moment to think and develop content. How are you preparing your age of retirement from blogging? What are retirement benefits for retired bloggers? Have you ever thought of this? Do you save enough or invest in some business that will cater for you during this age?

Let me here from you …

Are you a full time blogger and when did you fire your boss? Are you earning enough to shift from part time to full time? Are you thinking about old age?

Let me here your thoughts in the comment box. Also give me a list. Share this post with your friends on social media

Oh yes…I fired my boss too when I left my full-time job a few years back

Joke apart, I left my job honestly speaking because I wanted to spend more time with my family and kids, knowing they are with me for a limited time. Of course, I didn’t leave it immediately and no one should do that either. I think once you try out blogging, which takes time, and it gives you more than your earning earlier, then alone leave your full time job, which is another rmistake some bloggers make only to regret later.

Speaking of myself, I don’t have those figures to match up with yours or anyone elses from blogging! But yes, being a woman I’m able to contribute to my husbands income and that’s good enough I feel – again, not through blogging, but my writing projects, which are the ones that I earn from. But like I always say and haven’t done yet, I have to rethink on starting to earn more from my blog, and as you all say there is tremendous potential, I just need to tap those source and think in that direction now.

Hey Harleena,
I think your blog can earn you a huge income. It’s getting quite interesting traffic. You will just have to monetize it when the moment comes for you. That will surely add up to income from your writing jobs and contribute even more to your husband’s income.

While I earn some little from this activity, I work hard and smart to earn even more in the nearest future.

Most of peoples are entering in the blogging world because of money, they are considering you can get a lots of money in little time span. I also told you, I entered into the world of blogging because I want to earn money quick…. but at that time one of my blogger friend told me blogging is not just a making money online, you need to give some advice and guidance for peoples who are coming to your blog with keeping some hopes to found their answer.

After that time I started blogging seriously and realize that.. If you proving great knowledge from your blog then you can earn money automatically but couple of things are common in job and blogging; those are be regular and learn from other without copying others…Nikhil Bille recently posted..Human Resource Management: A Gratifying Career Path

No, doubt blogging is a way to earn money online. But you have to work hard, only few bloggers will success, but it is a great business.

Your blog is such a informative one. Focus on creating great content.

I really enjoyed this post while reading. it is a nice one because it deals with an interesting ideas and information. I like it so much as from the first time i read it, the information that are used here attracted me a lot. They take my attention from the first look, thank you so much for sharing with us this great topic in this great website. You are doing a great work here. I must say you’ve done a wonderful job by sharing your article with us. Thanks for this most informative post.

LOL, I love my new boss but I’d love to blog full time someday…and even when I’m retired. If one enjoys it they can always blog. But to make money takes more time and commitment. You can put in many long hours to begin to make money. I’m not at your numbers from just blogging. I’d love to build a nest egg via blogging too.
Have a great week ahead Enstine.

Hey Enstine, I don’t have a boss at the moment….but normally I do. I must say I have been lucky over the years, but I also know many who have not. Sometimes leaving is a good answer.
As for blogging full-time, I am only slowly starting to understand how tough that can be. And I have been going for 6 months. But it is slowly dawning on me how you can achieve that and I hope that the next 6 months will be even better!

I can’t agree more Enstine,
Of cause, there is money to be made via blogging if you take it as a business but, many people usually think that blogging brings over night wealth especially after reading such income reports but, they never cared to find out the sacrifices the person made before reaching at that height.

Yes, its requires lots of hard work and time and, I’ve come to find out that one thing that differentiates pro bloggers and the other ones is the MONETARY INVESTMENT you mentioned in other words, the ability to outsource some of the tasks.

If you really want to build a big business via blogging then, you need the help of others. You can not do it alone of cause and, it takes a collective efforts of different people to build a successful business.

Starting from content writing, building links, social media marketing, guest blogging, blog commenting and every other thing that makes up a successful blog, you need the help of others on some of these areas.

This post came at the perfect time for me. I have just made the decision to take more days off a week so that my blogging can get closer to full time. I lucky have the luxury to work as much, or as little, as I want at my other job, so I can still make a little income on the side while blogging full time. It’s kind of scary to take the leap, but I’m at the point that I need to blog full time if I want it to bring in a full time income.

Well, I am also waiting for fire my boss but it don’t see that coming at least in the near future, making money blogging is easy but making a living out of it is not easy at all, it requires time, skills and smartness. Those skills are not only including blogging skills but also marketing skills and seeing ahead in the future what might work and what wouldn’t work and it needs a lot of testing. You will not be successful from the first time. Thanks for sharing this great discussion Enstine.Qasim recently posted..Making Money Online: Are You Making These 8 Mistakes?

Great post Enstine! I love your detailed analysis. Blogging is a long term investment and requires patience on our side before we can get the result we desire.

Getting $7000 in the first year of blogging, I must say, is great achievement; a lot of bloggers never make that in 5 years. The stories are not the same for all bloggers; while some find it relatively easy to start making money in their first few months, others take a much longer time trying to figure out how to make money.

Fire your boss? I wouldn’t advise that for any blogger who cannot at least afford monthly internet subscription after firing his boss. If you hope to succeed in blogging and make money, you need to have a way to continue to update your blog. If you opt out of your current job and the little money you were earning suddenly stopped coming in, you are going to be faced with the harsh reality that you just made the worst mistake ever. What happens next? No more income, no more way of affording subscriptions and your blog posts dry up. Eventually the blog folds up.

My advice? Stay on your current job, work things out gradually. When you begin to get a regular income from your blog even though it is small, andyou are sure of your ability to continue your blog, then you could red card your boss and get ahead with full time blogging.

Like Enstine rightly pointed out, at what stage should you take that decisive decision? You must know what your income is like. Are your incomes trickling in irregularly or they are fairly regular? If you don’t have a regular income, you can gradually work on your channels of income and get things improved. If you can already make at least $500 a month, I should think you are ripe to fire your boss if the situation is really desperate.

You must also understand that waiting to have the most comfortable income generation before taking your step means you might never get your freedom. Sometimes, when you burn your boat and have no way of retreat, you would be forced to work harder, think more creatively and the hunger you would be exposed to would force you to get the breakthrough you need.

As for your old age, there is need to diversify your income sources. Once you start making regular income from your blog, don’t get carried away. Try and invest in other areas like buying stock, real estate, etc and you would have sometime tangible to lean on in your old age.

It’s great to see another one finding there way through blogging and actually creating a successful business out of it! I am very encouraged reading this post man. I know soon of these days your will be able to say you’re fired BOSS!!

Just like you said, blogging (alongside other things you do online) is a profitable activity if treated right. Although we’re wowed by eye-popping figures from credible sources left and right, we should never lose sight of the fact that it’s really not how much you make but how much you get to keep.

In my opinion, therefore, before leaving work behind for good, it is essential that you already have saved an amount enough for you and your family to live by for a certain period of time, especially when things don’t go the way you expect them. And then, there’s medical insurance, too.

Another Great post Enstine. I love the way you made your point in a very simple but educative way. I really wish to grow a business of my own without answering “yes sir” to anyone and this post has really help me in other to know how to plan and when to stop saying yes sir. Thanks again for sharing.

I think bringing up the “Think old age” point is really good, and most people never think that way,
i had the same issue, i did not think far ahead when i quit my job and decided to start my own i business, for me it was the health insurance part,
do you know how much 1 day at the hospital costs ?? god forbids, but shit happens.
you have to buy your own insurance, and think of old age retirement savings , and trust me it is wayy allot more work when you are your own boss,
so unless you are confident you will make at least twice the amount your boss is paying you, you should not fire him yet!
Many thanks and Best wishes!

Sometimes there is no right time you just have to make the time ‘right’.

That’s how it was for me. I simply resigned one day because it felt right. However, I was financially able to do that.

If you want to fire your boss, be proactive and at least have a plan in place first. I’ve always believed in the idea that “where there’s a will, there’s a way”. So if it’s what you want then work to make it happen. Don’t make excuses of why it can’t happen, find things and way to make it happen.

I’m not really a blogger, but own like 10 websites and doing affiliate marketing. I fired my job before two years when I realized I can earn more with my sites and my real job was taking me too much time which I could use to dedicate myself to wotking online.
I was earning around $13k a year with my real job, but after I fired it and dedicated myself to my sites I earned $50k last year with them. So it’s a lot better
This year is not that good because I lost my rank positions due to Google Penguin update so earning around $800 a month now, and still trying to recover.
All in all, my advice would be: If you know what you are doing and think you can succeed with your online job, just do it, you’ll feel lot better as your own boss. But don’t do it if you’re unsure if something will go wrong.
Best regards,
Adam